Combined chair and walker



Nov. 25, 1941.

J. MICHELIC v 2,263,898

COMBINED CHAIR AND WALKER Filed March 28, 1940 "i l' fg ze, I

"Mun" Patented Nov. 25, 1941 Unire D STATES PAT sur o FFI CE.

CONIBINED CHAIR AND* WALKER John Michelic, Chicago, I-ll.

Application March 28, 1940, Serial Nof. 326,374

6 Claims.

rIhis invention relates to certain neW and useful improvements in achilds combined chair and Walker.

My combined chair and walker is adapted for use by a normal child as achair, or as a walker whereby the child` may learn to walk. It is alsoespecially adapted for use by a crippled, disabled or invalid child, andparticularly by an infirm. child of feeble body or lower limbs.

One. of the obgects of my invention is found in-theprovision of movablysupported or portable combined chair and walker which is readilyadapt/.editor conversion into use as a childs chair or walker; whichVprovides adequate support for the child in sitting, standing or walkingpostures; which cannot be tilted by the child; and one which is soconstructed that it is practically impossible for the child to standupon the seat thereof or to extricate itself therefrom.

Another object of my invention resides in the provision of a childscombined chair and Walker having a laterally movable and adjustable seatwhereby such device is readily convertible for usev as a chair orwalker, and the adjustment of which seat beyond the control of thechild, .and

which device can be readily made of Wood, metal or other suitablematerial and provided with a tray for toys or food receptacles, andmanufactured at comparatively low cost in different sizes to meet theage requirements.

With the above and other objects in View, my invention consists inthenovel combination, construction and arrangement of the parts and membersshown in preferred embodiment in the appended drawing., described in thefollowing specifications, and particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

lin the drawing, in which like or corresponding parts are indicated bylike reference numerals:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a combined walker and chair embodying myinvention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevationv of same;

Fig. 3 is a plan View of same;

Fig. 4 is a partial vertical section showing the sea-t in Fig. 2 movedrearwardly when the device is used as a walker;

Fig. 5 is a. partial vertical section similar to that shown in. Fig..4,but showing .a modiiied seat and spring arrangement; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-section taken on line vi--- of Fig. 5.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention as illustrated in Figs. l to4 inclusive, the device includes a plurality of supporting legs,preferably four, and downwardly daring to provide legs Il! and iI tofacilitate movement of the dea. comparatively wide ibase.A The frontlegsr are indicated bynumeral Ill, and the rear legs by numeralV I I.

A suitable'tray I2 for food or-toys is supported upon the upper portionsof the legs I il and II. This tray I2 also constitutes a support for thearms of the child when the device is used as a walker-in traininglchildren to walk.

The tray I2 is providedv with a suitably shaped opening for the childsbody. The opening has its marginal edgel protected by a rubber cushioncover I3.

The rear legsI I extend through and above the tray I2 to support acushion type of head rest I4.

Suitable casters I9, preferably of the ballbearing type, are secured tothe bottoml` of the vice.

Suitably secured to and preferably suspended from the tray I2 is. adepending enclosure I5 for the. childs body. `This enclosure consists ofa rear wall I6, side Walls il and a front wall I8, and these walls aredisposed in close proximity to the Achilds body to thus support thechilds trunk in vertical position.

Qbviously, the enclosure I5 might be supported by any suitable. strutconnected to the rear legs II in addition to its supporting connectionwith the tray I2.

The front wall I8 is provided with a pair of spaced openings. 20 for thechilds legs, arranged to provide a depending spacer 2l which is adaptedto be positioned between. the childs legs when it is seated in thedevice to prevent the child from crossing its legs or rearranging itslegs in an attempt to stand upon the seat 25.

The front lportions of the sides I'I, adjacent the openings 2Q, areprovided with. openings 22 which merge with the openings y2!) to provideample space for the legs of the child extended therethrough. Asl clearlyshown in Figs. 1 and 2., each pair of openings 20 and 22 constitutes acorner opening.

The slidably adjustable seat 26, of substantially rectangular shape, isprovided with a central forwardly disposed extension 28 which isdisposed to be positioned between the childs legs, and which extension28 cooperates with the depending spacer 2| to impede the childs selfextrication from the device.

The front legs are stiiened by a horizontal strut 23, preferably of around steel rod, which is secured to and. between the front lees l0. Asimilar horizontal. strut 2/4, of preferably a round steel rod..connects the rear-legs II. Other steel 26 rearwardly. Each spring 29 hasone end at tached to the under side of seat 26, as at 36, and theopposite end attached to the lug 21, as at 3|. As shown in Figs. 1 to 4inclusive, the seat 26 is shown in the position when it is used tosupport the child in sitting posture, that is, the seat is in itsforward position wherein the grooved rear end edge is in engagement withthe round strut 24.

The springs 29 retain the rear end of the seat in engagement with thestrut 24, and the small.

plate 32 which extends under the strut 24 retains the rear end of theseat against vertical displacement.

When the device is to be used as a walker in training the child to walk,the seat is adapted to be slidably shifted rearwardly into the positionshown in Fig. 4, and when in such position, the child may readily assumea standing position within the enclosure l5 so that it can walk whilesupported by its arms on the tray I2.

The seat 26 may be shifted rearwardly simply by first moving it slightlyforward to release the engagement of the retainer 32 from underneath thestrut 24 and then slightly lifting the seat and moving it rearwardlyover the strut 24 for support thereon, and in this movement the frontstrut 23 will be engaged within the U-shaped clip 33 whereby the frontend of the seat will be retained against vertical displacement while thedepending lateral lip 34A of the Z-bar 34 will prevent accidentalforward and upward displacement of the seat.

In the modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6,

the arrangement of the springs` 29 is such that same tend to move theseat 26 forwardly.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the seat 26 is shown in its foremost positionwherein the Z-shaped retainer 35 engages beneath the front strut 23 andretains the seat against further forward movement and also againstvertical displacement. A similar retainer 36, secured to the rear of theseat, also functions to retain the seat against forward and verticalmovement when the device is used as a walker.

To convert the modified device from use as a chair to that of a walker,the seat 26 is slightly lifted at its rear end and moved rearwardly tothe position shown in Fig. 5, by the dot-and-dash lines, wherein theZ-shaped retainer 36 engages with and under the rear strut 24 to resistforward and vertical displacement of the seat. In such rearward movementof the seat 26, the Z-shaped retainer 31 will be positioned to engageunder the front strut 23 to thereby retain the front end of-the seatagainst vertical displacement.

Various changes in the details of the preferred I claim:

1. In a childs combined chair and walker device, the combination with aplurality of castersupported uprights and a horizontal tray carried bysaid uprights, of a slidably mounted seat adjustably supported belowsaid tray, and means for retaining said seat in forwardly or rearwardlyadjusted positions, including resilient means urging said seatrearwardly of the device, and an abutment for retaining the seat in itsforward position against the pressure of said resilient means.

2. In a childs combined chair and walker device, the combination with aplurality of castersupported uprights and a horizontal tray carried bysaid uprights, of a slidably mounted seat adjustably supported belowsaid tray, and means for retaining said seat in forwardly or rearwardlyadjusted positions, including resilient means urging said seatrearwardly of the device, an abutment for retaining said seat in itsforward position, a retainer on the rear end of said seat preventingvertical displacement of the rear end of said seat, and a retainer onthe front end of said seat for retaining said seat against verticaldisplacement when said seat is positioned in its rearmost position topermit use of the device as a walker.

3. In a childs chair and walker device, the combination with a pluralityof caster-supported uprights and a horizontal tray carried by saiduprights, of an enclosure for the childs trunk disposed below said tray,and having walls disposed in close proximity to the childs trunk, and aslidable seat adjustably supported at the lower end of said enclosure,wherein said enclosure consists of a structure of substantiallyrectangular cross-section having spaced openings in the front wallthereof for passage therethrough of the childs legs whereby a centralportion of said front wall is disposed between the childs legs, andwherein said seat is provided with a forwardly disposed centralextension of a width less than the width of the seat, said seat havingspaced front edge portions disposed a space distance rearwardly of theinner face of the front wall, and said extension being disposed betweenthe childs legs in vertical alignment with said front wall centralportion.

4. A childs convertible chair and walker device comprising a pluralityof caster-supported uprights, a tray carried by said uprights andprovided with an opening for the lchilds body, a walled enclosurestructure disposed below said tray for enclosing the major portion ofthe childs trunk, a laterally adjustable seat slidably supported on thelower end of said enclosure structure, said enclosure structure havingopening means permitting passage of the childs legs therethrough, afront horizontal strut connecting a pair of the front uprights, a rearhorizontal strut connecting a pair of the rear uprights, said seathaving a narrow central front extension disposed to extend between thechilds legs and positioned for support upon said front strut, the rearend of said seat being adapted to abut with said rear strut when thedevice is employed as a chair, resilient means urging said seatrearwardly, an abutment on the rear end of said seat adapted to engagesaid rear strut, for retaining said seat against forward movement whensaid sea-t is moved rearwardly to permit use of the device as a walker.

5. A device as embodied in claim 4 and wherein said abutment includes anextension preventing vertical displacement of the rear end of said seat,and including means on said seat extension preventing verticaldisplacement of the front end of the seat when said seat is movedrearwardly to permit use of the device as a walker.

6. In a childs combined chair and walker device, the combination with aplurality of castersupported uprights and a horizontal tray carried bysaid uprights, of a slidably mounted seat adjustably supported belowsaid tray, and means for retaining said seat in forwardly or rearwardlyadjusted positions, including resilient means urging said seatrearwardly of the device, a front abutment on the front side of thedevice, retaining means on the front end portion of said seat adapted toengage said front abutment to retain the front end of said seat againstforward and vertical displacement when the device is used as a chair, arear abutment on the rear side of the device, and retaining means on therear end of said seat adaptedto engage said rear abutment to retain therear end of said seat against forward and vertical displacement when thedevice is used as a walker.

JOHN MICHELIC.

